


Unmerited Respects

by kayisdreaming



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Gen, Oneshot, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), after chapter 5 (Tower of Conrad), mentions of child abuse (implied), not super relevant but thief Felix and Cavalier Sylvain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25363378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayisdreaming/pseuds/kayisdreaming
Summary: After defeating Miklan in the Tower of Conrad, Sylvain realizes there's only one thing left that he has to do.Felix thinks it's a stupid idea.
Kudos: 16





	Unmerited Respects

"Take time to catch your breath." The Professor said, gaze impassive as it fell over each of his students. "We'll return to the Monastery in an hour."

The response he got was noncommittal; they were exhausted, worn by the strain of a literally uphill battle. The ascent up the Tower of Conrad had been miserable, only worsened by the fact that it _was_ a fortress and—to an extent—that Miklan had actually known how to command his men.

But exhaustion wasn't the strongest feeling among them. They were unnerved, shaken. Even Felix could feel a tightness lingering in his throat, a tremble to his fingers. He paced and clenched his hands around his sword's hilt to will it away, but it wouldn't ease.

He could still see the beast when he closed his eyes, feel its roars echo in his chest. They had fought monstrously-large creatures before, but _this_ was different. Each roar was like warped screaming, each attack desperate and unrestrained. It had been impossible to fight without seeing the man being smothered by the monster.

But it wasn't pity that made Felix uneasy. No, he had come here prepared to kill Miklan. The man was a monster _before_ all this, and Felix relished in the knowledge that the fool would never return the Lance to Gautier. There would be a fight, one where Felix could finally, _finally_ end this worthless man's life.

Frankly, it seemed appropriate that Miklan was warped by his own pursuit of power, and killed by those he resented most.

What worried Felix, though, was _how_ the shift had happened. Miklan had been wielding the Lance without issue, easily wounding Gilbert and very nearly felling Ingrid. His attacks were powerful, the weapon making it difficult to land a hit. The Lance obeyed his commands, overwhelming in power. Even with the Lions fighting together, they had struggled to corner him, finding this as difficult as fighting any Margrave Gautier.

And then the Lance yielded no longer.

A part of it was the lack of a Crest, Felix knew that. Crests' importance had been ingrained into the minds of Kingdom children since birth. But he had always assumed that was for the power it granted them. The nobles' squabbling had seemed so foolish for so little benefit, but nobles had certainly fought for less.

Clearly he was wrong. The Crests were the only thing keeping the Heroes Relics in check—otherwise all Kingdom nobility would have been swallowed up ages ago.

But how much would a Crest—even a major one—protect against such corruption? Was it an immunity, a safeguard against the dangerous weapons that defined their heritage? Or was it only an obstacle that delayed the weapons' true nature? Would those with Crests eventually become beasts, too, if they used the weapons for long enough? After all, the Lance of Ruin hadn't swallowed up Miklan immediately . . . it merely bode its time.

Perhaps it was a combination of personal strength and the strength of the Crest. Which meant that, well, Sylvain had a lot of work to do if he didn't want to be swallowed whole like his brother.

The very thought made Felix shudder, acid on his tongue.

"Hey, Felix?" Sylvain's voice shouldn't have been a surprise—yet still Felix couldn't restrain the reactive twitch.

Felix rubbed his eyes. He hadn't realized how long he'd been staring at the ground, or how much his back ached from leaning against the first tree he'd found. His ribs were starting to throb, but he was certain that they were only bruised. Besides, it still seemed like Mercedes was tending to Ingrid not far away.

"Can I ask you something?" Sylvain continued. "A favor."

Felix glanced up, frowning. Milkan's hatred had been obvious in the battle; even when that man was a beast, Sylvain had taken the brunt of the punishment. It looked like Mercedes had healed the massive burn on his arm, though his gauntlet and pauldron were ruined. Bruises were appearing underneath his collar, spreading up his neck and over his cheekbone.

It was likely that Mercedes had deemed it too strenuous to push the healing further—from the looks of it, Sylvain would have collapsed if he was subjected to more. The bags under his eyes were prominent, breathing strained. He stood like he normally did—like nothing in the world was wrong—but Felix didn't miss that tremble in his fingers.

"I'm no good with healing." Felix sighed. "Ask the professor."

Sylvain laughed, but the noise was weak and hollow. His gaze flicked over to the others briefly before centering back on Felix. "No . . . not that."

Felix scowled.

"I . . . I need help." Sylvain rubbed the back of his neck, a few charred strands there breaking at the contact.

Felix crossed his arms. When Sylvain said nothing, his foot tapped. Then his finger tips pressed and squeezed at his sleeve. Finally, his lip began to twitch between scowl and sneer.

"Um . . ."

"Get _on_ with it."

Sylvain exhaled slowly, glancing away. "I need your help burying Miklan."

Felix blinked. He couldn't recall the last time Sylvain called a favor. And for the one time to be for his brother—of _all_ people—it was absurd.

"I'd do it on my own," Sylvain muttered, "but I . . .I'm not really in the shape to get him by myself."

Felix snorted. "Let him rot there."

"What?"

"He wanted that spot so bad," Felix growled, "let him rot in it."

"Felix—"

"He deserved worse." So much worse. It was impossible to forget the way Sylvain used to flee the moment his brother was anywhere nearby—even into his teens. Felix could remember the bruises that splotched Sylvain's skin every time he came to Fraldarius. And he couldn't pretend that he didn't know who was at fault when Sylvain had broken a bone, or fallen into that well, or got lost in the snow. He'd been ignorant as a child; he wouldn't allow himself to be such a fool now. "Let the beasts have him."

"I . . . I can't do that."

"Why should _you_ care?"

"Because . . . he's my brother." Sylvain swallowed hard, eyes shining slightly with the threat of tears. "I . . . hope that he'd have done the same for me."

Felix severely doubted it. Miklan would not have become a decent man in the wake of Sylvain's death. He would have reveled in it, found some way to bask in his victory. Images of such flicked through Felix's mind, threatening to make him ill.

Even if it _was_ something Sylvain knew(and he very likely did), it was clearly something he refused to acknowledge. And Felix wasn't cruel enough to try and force the matter.

"Fine." He sighed, pushing himself off of his perch. "I'll speak to the Professor."

Sylvain paled. "Wait—he can't—"

Felix glanced back as he passed. "This is close to Fraldarius land. I need to make sure the thieves have abandoned the tower. You'll help me."

"But—"

"No one asked for your opinion." Felix snapped, rolling his eyes. "The Professor's a smart man. He'll know large numbers will force them back into hiding."

"Fe—" Sylvain cut himself off at Felix's glare, wincing. Slowly, with his hands wringing together, he nodded. "Okay."

  
  


There were no thieves still living in the tower. Felix knew that. Sylvain likely knew that, once he'd finally caught on. Probably even the Professor knew that, often so thorough in annihilating his enemies that no one was ever left standing. It was plausibly the only reason he'd let them go on their own in the first place.

"Up there." Sylvain said between panting breaths.

Ahead of them, at the highest point of the tower, lay Miklan's body. It was unmoved from where they had left it, still sprawled out across the floor like he'd been struck with a death spell. His injuries were superficial, nothing more than what they had inflicted upon him when he was still in control. The beast, all signs of it now gone, merely had sucked the life from him.

Felix stepped closer, kneeling down to look at one of the few men he'd truly loathed. Even in death, he looked shocked—terrified—no doubt mirroring their expression when they'd seen the transformation.

"Grab the other arm." He muttered.

  
  


"I doubt it'll be disturbed here." Felix huffed, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve. His whole body ached, even with the small aid that the thieves' abandoned tools had provided. The march back to Garreg Mach was going to be painful. "Animals won't be around until spring."

Sylvain nodded, staring at the mound in front of him. He was still kneeling there—not in prayer, just . . . kneeling. "Felix," He sighed, "I'm pathetic, aren't I?"

"Yes." Felix stepped to Sylvain's side, trying to smother the irritation in his tone as he looked down at the display. Sylvain had tried to make a marker with the nearby foliage, but the wood was still too brittle from the overly dry season. To make up for it, he had torn one of Miklan's flags down, using nearby rocks to pin it in place. Miklan should have died a thousand deaths to earn this, and Sylvain was just giving it away.

"I know it's dumb." The laugh out of Sylvain's mouth was so fragile and shaky that it seemed like something had cracked irreparably within him. "You know, all I ever wanted was for him to look at me like older brothers are supposed to."

"Hm."He didn't miss the implied _'like how Glenn used to look at you.'_ He knew Sylvain had envied it, had wanted only a taste of what that was like. Felix could sympathize—he wanted that sometimes, too.

"You know," Sylvain let out a wet laugh, practically choked out, "he'd probably hate this."

"Probably."

They stayed there in near-silence. The wind rustled through the trees. In the distance, the other students chatted among themselves, far out of view. Rock scratched against dirt beneath Felix's feet as he shifted his weight. Sylvain's breaths were uneven—like he was about to cry, or already was crying.

"Well," Sylvain ran a hand through his hair, "we should, um, head back, right?"

With a heavy sigh, Felix sat beside his friend. It eased the pressure on his side, lessened the ache between his shoulders. "There's time."

"Yeah, but—"

"None of those girls will look at you again if they see you like this."

"It's not that bad." Sylvain's voice was such a startling contrast to how he always was. It was empty, bland. And yet maybe more real than he'd ever been.

"You're a mess."

"Oh, come on, Felix—"

"You're still crying." Felix snorted. "And you're an ugly crier."

"Look who's talking!" Sylvain complained. He brought a hand up to his face. "I'm not—oh, huh."

"Hm."

Sylvain dropped his hand into his lap. "Maybe a little longer, then."

Felix shifted slightly, his arm pressing against Sylvain's. He didn't shift as Sylvain rested his head on the offered shoulder. This close, Felix could feel how unsteady Sylvain was. His shoulder felt damp.

"Felix," Sylvain's fingers curled into Felix's sleeve,"I. . . I don't think I would have believed he was dead until I buried him myself. That's . . . horrible, isn't it?"

Felix shrugged. Maybe it was. "There are worse things."

Sylvain chuckled, with more feeling this time. "Yeah, there are, aren't there?"

Once, there had been Miklan. Now, things were falling into a slow chaos. Eventually, Sylvain would be called upon to use the Lance of Ruin—to potentially fall to the same fate his brother had.

But that was a worry for another time. For now, he could let Sylvain have a chance to be at peace.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, come bother me on Twitter [@kayisdreaming ](https://twitter.com/kayisdreaming).


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